Except now there’s a new “them.” It had been the leadership of the OCTA (staff) with a lot of support (but not quite ENOUGH) from the politicians on the OCTA Board – who were hellbent on imposing toll lanes on the busiest part of the 405, from Seal Beach to Harbor.

Now, suddenly, it’s CalTrans – the California Department of Transportation – who, in a completely unprecedented move, are decreeing that we need to do this. But they’re using the same old lines the OCTA toll trolls used to use. Let’s go over those again. In CalTrans’ latest dispatch they claim:

Under Caltrans plan, OCTA would construct one general-purpose lane on the San Diego Freeway (I-405) in each direction between Euclid Street and the San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605). This will allow OCTA to move forward on the freeway improvement project that was promised to voters in Measure M. All of the Measure M Project K funding would be directed toward adding the one general-purpose lane. Caltrans will pursue funding for the construction of an additional lane in each direction that would combine with the existing high-occupancy vehicle lane to operate as high-occupancy toll lane facility.

Do you see what they are still doing? This is the same old “Alternative 3” that OCTA has been trying to foist on the area for years now; and they are still pretending that it somehow gives us taxpaying drivers one new free lane for the $1.3 or $1.4 billion we have paid in Measure M sales tax, not to mention the five years of construction with seventeen bridges being torn down and rebuilt.

No, in this plan they want to foist on us, we get NO NEW FREE LANES. Okay, one more time: On this stretch we currently have five free lanes including the 2+ carpool lane, lanes which any of us can use, which cost nothing. OCTA/CalTrans wants to

build one new free lane on the outside using our $1.3 to $1.4 billion to expand the bridges,

then build themselves a new lane on the inside to convert into an expensive toll lane – which will cost them an additional $.4 billion which they’ll probably try to fund with expected toll revenue;

then they’ll also make our current free carpool lane into a toll lane so that there will be two toll lanes;

for a total of seven lanes, only FIVE of which will be free. So we drivers who don’t choose to pay hefty tolls but who HAVE taxed ourselves billions of Measure M sales taxes over the years get NOTHING new. (Except that one of our free lanes is no longer 2+ occupancy, BFD.)

How convenient now that CalTrans, who “owns the state’s highways” and would like to claim that they can do whatever they want with them, are ordering exactly what the pro-toll forces on the OCTA have been wanting to do for years, but have been unable to politically because of popular opposition. But it is OUR Orange County money that they’ll be using to do it; this whole project would be impossible without first using our $1.3 to $1.4 billion, no matter how they spin it; and those of us who voted yes on Measure M (twice) would never have voted to fund building toll lanes on our highway.

When asked last year why CalTrans was not considering imposing toll lanes on LA county’s equally congested freeways, the answer from District Director Ryan Chamberlain was “LA doesn’t have the money for us to do that” – proving our point, which they deny, that they’re planning to use our Measure M money to impose tolls on us.

And who doubts that the motivation here is toll revenue that they (presumably OCTA) can play with? But they have become very disciplined about pretending that this is all about “throughput” – that Alternative 3 with its two toll lanes is the best solution to the 405’s congestion or “degradation.” BS – the best solution for our congestion – what will get ALL of us taxpaying drivers moving quicker – is the modified Alternative 2 that we have been fighting for and which we’ve paid for – TWO new FREE lanes.

What communications have there been to make CalTrans do this to us? How did OCTA brass get the big boys to come in and say “You have to do what OCTA brass wants to do?” We want to know how they made this happen.

This will have to be fought in court.

And so there needs to be a plaintiff, an injured party.

And so, for this purpose, we are forming The Orange County Drivers’ Union, a 501c4 non-profit.

Who can be part of this? YOU can. Anyone who drives on the 405 sometimes and who pays sales taxes in Orange County, and chances are that’s you. That’s gotta be hundreds of thousands of us – all of whom will be ripped off and injured by this toll lane scheme.

Let’s do this – we need $500 to start the group. Keep your eyes on the Orange Juice Blog for more details (and let us know what you think in comments.)

23 Comments

I’m against toll restrictions on any roadway that continue after the initial construction is paid for. Trouble is, if you charge tolls to pay for the initial construction, it’s very hard to part with that revenue stream and transportation authorities often find reasons to keep tolls in place. A perfect example of this is the Chicago area. Caltrans and OCTA should be focusing on technological means by which to control traffic flow and relieve congestion. Tolls are an old-fashioned, lazy way to punish people for driving.

Here in the OC, the building of the new lanes and the rebuilding of the bridges will be funded by taxes that we’ve already paid.

Also the folks who want tolls here are not even pretending that the expected toll revenue is to fund this particular project; but countless other projects that are still dreams in their klepto heads. So no, they don’t envision the tolls ever ending. Far from that, they’d like to do this all over the county.

Today at the OCTA, Chairman Nelson (Supervisor) refused a request by Board Member Miller to put this topic on the next agenda. He stated that the OCTA is going forward with Alternative One, (to add one lane) period. Clearly, there will be no additional vote on this issue. He sees no conflict with the intent of M2.

Supervisor Bates stated this was about additional revenue. Then Ryan Chamberlain, Caltrans Representative, stated it was only about “through-put”….unequivocally not about money. So disingenuous…….

So is he telling CalTrans to pound sand, or is he telling the rest of us to pound sand?

Alternative 1 by itself doesn’t seem to conflict with the intent of M2 — it’s just that it’s a stupid waste of a good opportunity. CalTrans deciding to impose toll lanes on freeways we’ve built and maintained certainly violates it.

No, there will be no change in method or personality; the veneer has long since slipped off what is a fundamental cupidity and respect only for people with money and particularly those who make contributions.

Unfortunately the pay to play started quite a long while ago, as I subsequently learned.

What you will see is a lot more bullying of little people who can’t hit back.

*Robert Poole…..Reason Foundation……follow the money……and you will see that Bureaucrats at Cal-Trans have been giving us the shaft since the days of Adrianna Gianturco…..oops……when Downtown Jerry Brown was doing his first terms in office. As everyone knows we stand abjectively opposed to Toll Roads everywhere except on Private Property….Public Roads…..are paid for by the Public and taxes we pay.

If one happens to want to build another Golden Gate Bridge…..that would be fine…..if they actually came up with a start and stop date for the toll proposed. We need to fight these misplaced bureaucrats by simply firing them to start…..and getting some new folks to volunteer their services for five years…..no pay!

i drove the 405 today to los angeles. the best part of the drive were the two toll portions, the one being the 73 and the second being the toll road on the harbor freeway from the 405 interchange to downtown…what a joy.

if you get a plaintiff for your non profit, which will hopefully be investigated by the non partisan irs, i will be the plaintiff in the cross complaint. we need more toll roads. we too are forming a non profit and you can find out more at

*To believe in Congestion Pricing is too believe in the continuation of the “Great Elitism Society”. The old pricing on the 73 used to be $1.25….what is it now? When it costs someone $20 dollars a day….just in gas and tolls to get to work…

Bear in mind, Neil, that our TD Mike does tend to be on the facetious side. Sometimes he seems to be doing it just to set up something like your post; sometimes he seems to be driven by a strange compulsion, about which the less known and discussed the better.

*TDM – Only WE could truly grasp your logic on this one. Funny stuff, but they won’t move in any more gun stores,liquour or 99 cent stores either. Hey, it is just the way the society seems to be evolving. One of our electeds who is running for higher office strongly supported the extension of the 241 through to the 405….a toll road extension of great magnitude. We told her we opposed that and the gist of it was, she said:………..those lovely folks with the Escalades needed to get to San Diego and they didn’t need any traffic clogging their way. The Toll Rate just for the extension would have been an outrage – just as Cal-Trans proposed 405 Toll Road would be. No, we need to fight them in the trenches, fight them on the beaches and fight them if necessary at El Alamein…..Of course, better yet, we can make those Toll Roads on the 405 for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles Only…..how about that for cutting down the inconvenience for the rich folks? Then they can charge $10 bucks a mile to go on the Toll Road. Don’t laugh….its coming folks.

We’re going to take our time and do this right, since suit can’t be filed until there’s a new EIR in place. But this will be happening, and readers of this blog and its associated Facebook pages will know how to be involved!